Sewer gas rising from floor drains might be an unhealthy nuisance for commercial building owners and homeowners, but for plumbing service contractors, it should be a breath of fresh air for aftermarket and service call add-on sales that increase profits.

The common cause of sewer odors in floor drains is the evaporation of the gas-blocking water trap seal that prevents sewer gas egress through a floor drain P-trap. It’s especially common with infrequently used drains. Once evaporated, the trap seal is broken leaving nothing to block a steady supply of unfettered sewer gas rising up into the occupant’s breathing zones. Sewer gas is suspected of carrying airborne biological contaminants that can lead to SARS (Coronavirus), Legionnaire’s and other diseases.

Plumbing service contractors have four alternative remedies to this problem and not all of them are foolproof:

Q: Hi all very simply it’s copper tubes, small pc fans, and surrounding the copper tubes is several 15 to 20w quartz halogen (I think?) heater spotlight lamp bulbs. If this is placed in a wall to heat a small bathroom bringing cold air outside in, will it be able to do so? Thanks a bunch – any recommendations for efficiency or a similar design welcome. – A1d4n_18

A: Sounds pretty good to burn your house down. How is this cheaper than something UL approved?

You’ll also not be anywhere near the same efficiency as something off the shelf. Don’t do it.

– DietCokeFiend

This. Pick up a wall can at the local big box home improvement warehouse for $100-200. It’ll not be a fire hazard AND it recycles warm air from the room, not cold outside air.

The most common trap primers are connected to a water line and activated via pressure fluctuation from a nearby urinal or water closet flush that maintains trap water levels. Other types divert gray water to the trap from nearby sink drains.

Trap primers’ main disadvantage is maintenance. Like many plumbing fixtures, their supply orifices are easily blocked by scale or corrosion. Cleaning or replacing them can be an expensive proposition, especially when they require floor and wall demolition/repair for access.

Comparatively, the recently-developed waterless barrier-type trap seal protection device circumvents these disadvantages because it’s virtually maintenance-free. Most floor drain trap seals are push-fit, with an EPDM or silicone-based fittings featuring a one-way membrane that acts similar to a check valve. The strong membrane’s tight-seal prevents sewer gas and insect ingress while also protecting against total trap water evaporation for months. Furthermore, the membrane is sensitive enough to open from the weight of just four ounces of water draining from a shower stall or floor wash-down.

Building codes are quickly changing across North America to allow trap seal use in lieu of trap primers. In many jurisdictions, trap seals are allowed as substitutes in retrofit situations where trap primers have failed. Opening and closing floors or walls to replace trap primers can many times cost upwards of $1,000 each, so a trap seal that installs in less than a minute after removing the floor drain grate can represent a significant savings.

New construction is a different story. Trap seals that carry an ASSE-1072 test and certification by a third party test lab may be substituted for trap primers in new construction, depending on the local jurisdiction and its inspectors. Plumbing consulting engineers that still want trap primers in their specifications might consider combining them with trap seals. When the trap primer’s lifecycle ends, the trap seal can still offer the facility sewer gas protection.

It’s the consulting engineer and/or contractor’s responsibility to specify a particular brand they deem as the best and compliant with ASSE-1072. It’s important to specify a brand since some brands don’t meet ASSE-1072’s requirements to withstand the effects of dirt, debris, floor wax and grease-laden waste. Typically the code-compliant models also have a built-in relief valve for eliminating potential air locks between the trap seal and the trap seal device that prevent floor water from draining properly.

There are alsosome new trap seal models with an added check valve benefit to protect against property-damaging water back-ups ranging up to five feet of head pressure.

Besidesminimizing trap water evaporation reduction and maintenance, waterless trap seals are also considered green because they don’t require continual trap water filling, thus they complement water conservation efforts.

Some waterless trap seals are approved or accepted nationally for all retrofit uses. New construction specification depends on jurisdictions that have adopted ASSE-1072.

The following list presents approval levels by state and province:

Fully-Approved: Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and District of Columbia. Also Ontario and Quebec;

Some Approval and Currently Considering: Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New England, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, Puerto Rico, and most of Canada outside of Ontario and Quebec

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Comments Off on 5 Mini-split Accessories Mandated by Building Codes

Many HVAC contractors are unaware of five accessories that are mandated by building codes, and that have been written for the fast-emerging ductless mini-split market.

BY JAMES BOWMAN

Most qualified contractors are knowledgeable of building codes for general HVAC work. However, many are unaware of five accessories that are mandated by building codes aimed at the fast-emerging ductless mini-split market.

Rather than learn what’s not code compliant from an inspector that red tags a new mini-split installation, the following list of code-mandated products are listed below: